Letters To The Editor

In her critique of school vouchers (Op-Ed, Jan. 20) Viola Baskerville resorts to the stale, self- serving arguments of big government Democrats and public school teacher unions.

She says that the proposed school voucher system is nothing more than a product of "elitist traditional conservative thinking" designed to improve the education of "affluent, well-motivated children already doing well in the existing public and private school system.

She conjures up a "typical at-risk" racial minority child who will be hurt by the voucher system: a low achiever disadvantaged by lack of parental advocacy and supervision, lacking good clothing, dependent on the school lunch program and frequently absent.

How this poor child's future could possibly be damaged further by a voucher system is hardly imaginable.

Baskerville reveals a basic antipathy toward the voucher system, citing the fact that a voucher system was enacted in Virginia to circumvent Brown vs. Board of Education "by helping white students attend private schools." She lets her understandable bias from the past impel her to reject new opportunities for disadvantaged children because the vehicle for opportunity was once, in the past, misused.

Next, she assumes that private schools would simply pick off the best students with vouchers, leaving the public school system with the least advantaged and the poorest performers.

Baskerville fails to acknowledge that the public school system would in all probability react in a positive way to the introduction of vouchers, which could also be spent on public education.

Teachers teach for a variety of reasons, but getting paid is one key motive. If continuing present practices threatened the existence of some schools, it is logical to assume that they will either cease to exist or change their practices to perform better.

Frank Parker

Williamsburg

Verdict's in on jury duty

I was asked to serve as a juror in Newport News for the first time in November-December. Looking forward to serving was not a pleasant thought. Thinking of going "downtown" wasn't my idea of fun. Talking to people that had served before - their positive thoughts - still didn't' ease my fear of the unknown.

Well, it was a valuable experience - meeting new people and getting to know first hand the workings of the judge and lawyers.

The staff couldn't have been nicer. In fact, during November we had family concerns and I was excused from serving. The person on the phone couldn't have been nicer.

In December I received a letter of appreciation on behalf of the court thanking me for my participation. I, too, wish to thank each one for making this experience a good and valuable one.

Ann C. Woodward

Newport News

OSHA as party pooper

Has OSHA just pulled the rug out from under this economy?

If companies are responsible for the home offices of those who telecommute, would that not include their cars if employees make business calls while driving? Would not the employer be responsible for the streets, beaches, parks, restaurants, etc. when employees make business calls from their cell phones?

When an employee takes work home, isn't the employer likewise responsible if that worker gets hurt at home? Isn't the employer also responsible for hazards in places where employees attend business lunches? What if a worker gets hurt in bed while tossing and turning, worrying about his job? How will a company know if the worker was hurt working on the job or while otherwise occupied?

Is this the beginning of the end of the economic boom?

Mary Potter

West Point

What's the chief measure of the man?

I read with interest Dave Chernicky's Jan. 5 story on Minetti's "second" retirement. It calls to mind a statement by Emerson that "the louder he talked of his honor the faster we counted our spoons."

While no doubt interesting to some, why not expand the article to include those things he did that contributed to the safety of the citizens and to the welfare of our police officers?

One would have thought after 45 years of service his contributions to law enforcement in Hampton were many. What are they?

Perhaps he could discuss the "new and improved communication system" and, more important, cases not yet closed, such as the Grey murder case, which is surely still open.

As an old Chinese philosopher once said: "One's life can be judged by the length of the shadow one leaves." Where is Minetti's shadow?

Wallace M. Gallant

Hampton

Old business ...

Well, I awakened on New Year's Day, sweat pouring down my forehead, my stomach tight, expecting the worst, expecting to do battle with Y2K. Oh, my disapointment when the lights came on, the TV played, the commode flushed, my computer came to life and the clock in the lower right corner showed it to be Jan. 1, 2000.

Where was Y2K? With all the hype and glitz that was in the newspaper, on TV, on the radio, it had to be somewhere.